Digital Accessibility

U.S. Justice Department Extends Web Accessibility Deadline

The U.S. Department of Justice has issued an Interim Final Rule, effective April 20, 2026, that extends the compliance deadlines for web accessibility by one year. Under the previous deadlines, a number of public libraries faced a primary compliance deadline of April 2026 (or April 2027 for smaller jurisdictions or districts). Under this revised timeline, public entities serving populations of 50,000 or more now have until April 26, 2027, while smaller entities and special districts have until April 26, 2028 to comply.

Background

Under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 government entities - such as schools and libraries - must make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. The U.S. Government recently signed a new rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that covers digital inclusion. This rule clarifies what schools and libraries need to do to make their website and mobile applications accessible to everyone.

Federal Laws & Guidance

RAILS Resources for Libraries

Guidance from Ancel Glink Regarding Discrimination Complaint

Following Secretary Giannoulias’ meeting with RAILS public library directors on April 22, 2024, RAILS was made aware of a complaint shared by the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education related to alleged discrimination based on disability. Specifically, these complaints are related to a library’s website and whether that web experience is equal to the opportunities afforded to those without disability. Similar complaints were received by at least two public libraries in Illinois, and it was relayed that the complainant may intend to file against other Illinois public libraries in the future.

RAILS requested that Ancel Glink, our legal partner, address the recent digital access discrimination complaints against libraries. In a memorandum, Ancel Glink outlines the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education (“OCR”) complaint process, OCR investigations, and OCR resolutions of complaints including settlements and mediation, and more.

This is intended to be a general support for this process, and libraries are encouraged to work with their own legal counsel should they receive a similar complaint.

Ancel Glink Memo Regarding OCR Complaint (PDF)

Digital Accessibility and Third-Party Resources

Digital accessibility requirements extend to any third-party content provided to library users when there is a contractual, licensing, or other arrangement through which the library or library district uses the web content or mobile app to provide a service, program, or activity—such as e-resources, e-content, and databases. 

RAILS provides its member libraries with a variety of third-party vendor options for digital products and services through the RAILS Deals & Discounts program. While RAILS actively communicates accessibility expectations with the vendors in the Deals & Discounts program, it is the responsibility of the individual participating libraries that enter into contractual agreements with the vendors to ensure that the provided content and services comply with the technical standards set forth in the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA. To assist member libraries with their evaluation of research databases and other products that the libraries provide to their users through third-party vendors, RAILS hosts a repository of Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs). RAILS has also compiled the following resources to assist libraries with evaluating products and vendor communication:

RAILS Events (Upcoming and Recorded)

Upcoming

Recorded

This video was presented on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at the RAILS Member Update. It features Sonya Schryer Norris discussing web accessibility.

RAILS Academy: Digital Accessibility (RAILS Academy login required)

RAILS Member Update
June 6, 2024

This event will included a presentation on digital accessibility for libraries by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ADA IT Coordinator Keith Hays.

Other Resources

Free Tools

Free Training Resources

Paid Training Resources

Miscellaneous